Pop phenomenon Psy brought a dour opening ceremony to life with his hit “Gangnam Style”, heralding the start of 15 days of competition in 49 widespread venues in Incheon.

Two sexual harassment cases in the build-up to the tournament had brought swift condemnation and saw an Iranian football official sent home.

Qatar’s women’s basketball team were at the centre of a storm when they were ordered off the court for not removing their hijab headscarves, which are against rules set by the sport’s world body.

“This is an insult to us, they did not respect our religion,” Qatar forward Refaa Morjan Mohammed told AFP. Boxing rules were also in the spotlight when Indian boxer Sarita Devi tearfully refused her lightweight bronze medal in protest at the judging. The Philippines and Mongolia, who were also on the end of some questionable decisions, promised to take up the problem with the International Boxing Association.

In athletics, there was confusion as teenager Ruth Jebet was disqualified from steeplechase gold as she was about to step onto the victory podium, before being reinstated on appeal the following day. China’s gold medal count was its lowest since Busan 2002, and the team was also rocked by a positive drugs test to three-time hammer champion Zhang Wenxiu.